Cleveland Golf Introduces VP Milled Putter Line

Now that Cleveland Golf is getting settled in with their new parent company, they can get back to the business of what they do best: making golf clubs. What they are coming out with however, may surprise you a bit.

Cleveland Golf purchased this little putter company called Never Compromise back in 2003 and has had pretty good success on the PGA Tour with the distinctive black and gray putters. While still maintaining the Never Compromise brand, Cleveland continued to make its own line of putters and is coming out with a new line in 2008: the VP Milled putters.

Let’s take a look.

Engineering Talk
The new VP Milled putter line features some fancy technology called Dual Axis Alignment which Cleveland engineers claim will help you with your alignment. “Visual misperceptions” can occur due to the golfer standing to the side of the target rather than straight-on while putting.

Depending on your putting stroke, adjustments may have to be made to your swing path or how you address the ball and that can lead to having an inconsistent putting stroke. The Dual Axis Alignment shows the golfer when the “hands are out of position and to to detect when the eyes are not directly over the ball.”

For those of you who may have a bit too much forward press in your putting stroke, the indicator lines are there to help you out from de-lofting your putter.

Specifications
All three putters in the VP lineup are CNC milled from 304 stainless steel and the platinum finish is hand polished. The CNC milling insures that “outstanding part to part accuracy, repeatability and consistency, which ultimately leads to a truer roll and increased accuracy of putts.” The VP line comes in three flavors; the #1, #2, and #3.

The #1 is a “classic blade design” with a 1½ shaft offset plumber’s neck and weights in at 340 grams as well as a standard lie of 70° and 3° of loft. It is available for men in either right or left hand in either 33″, 34″, and 35″. The #2 is a blade as well but has a more rounded look for the back and a ½ shaft offset slant neck. It weighs 340 grams and has a standard lie of 70° with 3° of loft. It is available for men in both right and left hand varieties in lengths of 33″, 34″, and 35″.

For those of you who prefer a mallet, don’t worry as you are included in the fun as well with the #3 which features a 350-gram, face-balanced head with and double band shaft with ½ shaft offset. The #3 comes in 33″, 34″ and 35″ lengths but only comes in the right-handed variety. It also comes in a women’s version in 32″, 33″ and 34″ lengths as well.

All the VP Milled putters feature a lie-angle alignment indicator as well as a de-loft indicator and are available in either a standard, flat, or upright lie angle. A Winn AVS grip is standard and a headcover is included as well.

Availability & Pricing
The VP Milled putters are available as of February 1, 2008 so run down to your local golf shop and give them a try (don’t forget to get fitted before picking one up!). The minimum advertised price (MAP) for the VP Milled is $149.99, which seems a downright bargain for a CNC milled putter.

Summary
It will be interesting to see how Cleveland Golf balances their own putter making with that of the Never Compromise brand. Nonetheless, to come out with a milled putter at that price point is pretty impressive and it will be interesting to watch Cleveland Golf in the next few years now with having a parent company that understands the golf equipment industry rather than surfboards.